5 February, 2019 – Bangkok Post – Thailand – Banpu buys 21.5% of FOMM

SET-listed Banpu Plc has signed an agreement to acquire a 21.5% stake in FOMM Corporation, Japan’s compact electric vehicle (EV) developer, for US$20 million (627 million baht) in a move to expand its presence in the clean energy business throughout Asia-Pacific. (link).

Kasikorn Research Center (K-Research) forecasts the assembly and output of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) in Thailand will stand at 430,000 units by 2023, putting the country in the top four in Asia. (link).

EA and its subsidiaries won BoI privileges to manufacture lithium-ion batteries (worth 2 billion baht) in May, construction of EV charging stations (1.092 billion baht) in November, and an R&D unit for full EVs (130 million baht) in December. (link).

Roughly 20 firms have submitted their applications to the Board of Investment (BoI) to produce battery electric vehicles (EVs) in the country, says the Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand. (link).

Toyota Motor Thailand has submitted its investment plan for the government’s electric vehicle (EV) scheme to localise manufacturing of new eco-friendlier vehicles in Thailand. (link).

22 January, 2019 – New York Times – Singpore – Dyson to move headquarters to Singapore

Dyson, which makes vacuum cleaners and hair dryers and has an electric car in the pipeline, is moving its headquarters from Malmesbury, in southwest England, to Singapore in response to demand for its products in Asia. (link).

Malaysia is set to venture into the production of lithium-ion batteries, with plans to manufacture 18650 cells in the coming future. According to Malaysia Automotive Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii), battery development forms part of the technology growth slated for the industry in 2019. (link).

The Board of Investment (BoI) has approved three projects for the electric vehicle (EV) scheme in November, including Energy Mahanakhon Co on Nov 27 for building charging stations worth 1.09 billion baht. Mazda through AutoAlliance Thailand, a joint venture with Mazda and Ford, won privileges on Nov 19 for a hybrid EV project worth 11.5 billion baht in Rayong. Also on Nov 27, DTS Draxlmaier Automotive System Thailand won for high-voltage battery production worth 542 million baht in Chon Buri to serve BMW’s plug-in hybrid EVs. (link).

Japanese carmaker Mazda Motor Corporation is poised to produce hybrid electric vehicles (EVs) in the country after the Board of Investment (BoI) granted a 11.48-billion-baht investment application. (link).

After staring the possibility of a shortage of batteries for hybrid cars imported from Japan, Toyota Motor Thailand decided to accelerate the start of its battery assembly in Chachoengsao province to mid-2019. (link).

Nissan Motor Thailand is teaming up with Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) to install quick-charging outlets in households, supporting the future introduction of the Nissan Leaf into the Thai market. (link).

Malaysia’s proposed second national car project could be a purely electric-vehicle (EV) initiative, in line with the new government’s emphasis and concerns on the impact of climate change, as well as the environment’s preservation. Malaysian Green Technology Corp (GreenTech Malaysia) is currently spearheading a working paper on a potential electric-based second national car project. (link).

Mitsubishi’s Asean division said the company is standing firm on its plan to introduce its EV technology to Thailand as it prepares to apply for the government’s tax incentive programme overseen by the Thai Board of Investment. (link).

policymakers are planning to allocate 200 million baht to build a pilot plant for lithium-ion and lithium-sulfur batteries, which is an R&D project for students at Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology. (link).

Toyota Motor Thailand is keeping with its plan to localise a battery plant and start production in early 2020, even though the local plant is facing a battery shortage for its hybrid electric vehicles. (link).

BYD has entered into a agreement with Rizen Energy to deliver 1000 electric taxis for use in the city of Bangkok. (link).

19 February, 2018 – Bangkok Post – Thailand – Powering the EV surge

The government is keen on transforming Thailand into a global production hub for electric vehicles (EVs), offering measures to encourage local car factories to build this new generation of automobiles. (link).

Global Power Synergy Plc (GPSC), the energy business arm of national oil and gas firm PTT Plc, is planning to develop a lithium ion battery factory worth 1 billion baht … In the first phase of development, the project will be a joint venture with a Japanese partner (whose name is yet to be confirmed) and will have a power storage capacity of 100 megawatt-hours. (link).